One Last Time
by LonelyWriter42
Summary: Hinata goes on one last mission before the events of Forsaken.


One Last Time

Author: LonelyWriter42

Summary: Hinata goes on one last mission before the start of Forsaken.

Disclaimer: Dear Kishimoto-sensei, if you do not make NEJIHINA a canon paring soon, I will fly to Japan, kidnap you and force you to MAKE it canon. Signed, your stocker, me.

One last time, tell me you love me, one last time, tell me you'll miss me; one last time, never forget me, one last time, in the hour of my death.

The week after the ceremony where Hanabi had been name Head was full of chaos. Actions like this had been taken before, but never when the heir was in their right mind, like Hinata was, inactively learning the Jūken, unlike Hinata who had secretly ascended to the position of master through Neji's strict training, or declared incompetent, which Hinata had never been found. She knew that the council was working on that right now and an announcement would come to the family soon, but until it did, she was going to continue acting as the Heir.

She proudly held her head high as she walked the corridors, always ignoring the looks and sneers from them, her supposed _family_. A smile came to her face, but it wasn't one of happiness, it was one of hatred.

Yes, her family was crazy and she knew that there was nothing she could do about it but what they didn't know that she was a walking time bomb waiting for the right moment to go off. Her hand went to her chest and gripped the necklace Neji had given her for her birthday through the fabric of her shawl. He had been as unhappy as one could get that she had thrown her life away even if it was to protect her beloved little sister. The Hyuga was not a family, he reminded her, they were a group of people that lived in the same house that used everyone else for their own gains.

Upstarters in the Main house came and went every generation, only those who had managed to stay in the or close to the Royal line survived the frequent downsizing of the Main house every twenty years or so. Families that had been the most trusted advisers to the Head one generation might the next be nothing more than the servants that cleaned the royal toilet.

Her own mother had been considered an upstart; the fact Hiashi had married the daughter of a man in financial ruin instead of a man that could offer a fortune with his daughter was considered the reason that the first child born of the union was such a disappointment. Little Hinata barely managed to raise her hand into the Jūken stance, how could she ever dream of being Head.

"Well at least I'm not completely hopeless," Hinata muttered under her breath as she entered her room and threw the shawl she had draped over her arms onto the floor. The absurd hair piece followed and then the rest of the pins holding her hair into place. As soon as her indigo hair was flowing down her back she attacked her obi, struggling to get it undone. The ridiculousness of the outfit hit her again but she was determined to look every inch the lady she was, even if it made her feel silly.

The top layer of her kimono fell to the ground as she pulled the obi off still tied in it's bow though loosened by her struggle. As soon as the obi was off she tossed the rest of her clothing into a pile and took her old, reliable training outfit into her hands. The once brilliant lavender color had faded out of the jacket, leaving it a dull grayish color and her pants looked like they had been stained repeatedly and scrubbed until those stains came out. What she didn't want to think about was the fact those stains had mostly been blood, either hers, or that of an enemy as she killed them.

Small hands came up to her chest as she closed her eyes. She had killed many but never had she stopped to think about whom they were, what their families were like, what their dreams for the future were. They were ninja, just like her, they had names, families, friends, but unlike her, those people would miss them, would be sad when they did not come home. A tear ran down her cheek for all of them, the nameless people that would never see their family and friends again because of her. But what made her cry even harder was the fact that she could have been killed by any of them and no one would have cared. She would have been another casualty in her family's eyes; another expenditure with no value.

Anger flew through her veins and she pulled her clothing on with a rage she had never felt before. If anyone stood in her way as she stormed through the compound they would have met a Hinata that they had never seen before, the one that everyone had secretly hoped for in the five years before Hanabi's birth, the one that could defeat even Neji if pushed.

Fury guided her, her hands clenching and unclenching as she left the compound. The training ground became the object of her wrath as she tore through it, destroying training dummies with a single-mindedness that she had never demonstrated before. As soon as one dummy fell another took its place until all of them were destroyed, twenty in all in only twelve minutes.

She stood back and observed the chaos she had caused with disjointed thoughts, as if observing someone else's rage. Her thoughts sifted between disbelief that she was the one that did it and thoughts of satisfaction that she _had_ destroyed the training grounds.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she realized that she had _liked_ killing the dummies, pretending they were family members whose lives were ending. The worse thought filling her head was the dummy's head laying closest to her, the way the head was shaped and the slight features carved into the wood looked a lot like Hanabi's. That dummy had received the largest amount of her wrath by the way it was destroyed.

"No, no, no," she sobbed, hugging her chest. "I could _never_ harm Hanabi. She's my beloved little sister. The baby sister that was placed in my arms after Mother's death, the one that I raised like my own daughter. I could never harm Hanabi like that. I could never."

She dropped to her knees and continued to sob, her chest hurting from the pain but there was nothing she could do. She had lost the game that had been played since her birth. There was no going back now. She had _lost_.

Later that day she shuffled into the Hokage's office after Kiba had found her passed out on the training ground. A layer of dust covered her backside where she had been laying and her hair had particles in it, but she decided that she didn't care. There was no point to her life any more. Even the small pieces of hope she so desperately clung too were evaporating, leaving an empty shell were Hyuga Hinata once resided.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow as the two remaining members of team Kurenai's genin filed into her office, both with expressions foreign to them on their faces. Kiba was looked at Hinata with a concerned look, something he would never do since he was in competition with Naruto to be the master of being oblivious. Hinata's expression was harder to read since she had been trained since a young child how to remain expressionless in every situation but there was stress peaking out behind her defenses and a look of deep _sadness_ written in her eyes.

Tsunade pressed her lips together, wondering what the Hyuga had done this time to hurt one of her most valuable shinobi. "Kiba, Hinata, Akamaru, I need a talented team to go the boarder right away and deal with a delicate situation up there. Apparently the squadron that had previously been assigned to look after it deserted and now it is left manned by a man well over eighty and his thirteen year old grandson. The Leaf cannot afford for this stronghold to fall under any circumstance. You two are the only ones in the village that I could find that have the skills to look after it. Hinata, I know that you are not taking missions any longer but I need you to do this."

Hinata nodded and looked away, her expression saying that she would be glad to be anywhere but Konoha.

"But don't we need a third person in our group?" Kiba argued. "We always had Shino…"

"Unfortunately, there is no suitable replacement for Shino to be found at such short notice." Tsunade brought her clasped hands to her chin and closed her eyes. "There is only one other shinobi in Konoha that I could send on this mission, but he was hurt yesterday in the skirmish in the trading town to the south. I do not know if he is up to another mission right now."

"Who is it?" Kiba asked impatiently.

"Neji," Tsunade replied, opening her eyes.

"Neji was injured?" Hinata gasped. "When, how?"

"I believe that he engaged in battle with Cloud shinobi that were sneaking around trying to get information about Konoha out of the settlers. He dealt with the problem quickly, though he received a stab wound in the back from a kunai. He came in this morning and is still at the hospital. I can send word and ask him if he will go with you," Tsunade informed them. "What do you say, Hinata?"

"Me?" The indigo haired girl pointed at herself in confusion.

"Your reaction to the news that Neji was injured tells me that you are concerned for his wellbeing." Tsunade calmly folded her hands under her chin and kept her gaze level at the younger woman.

"He is my cousin," Hinata said, her face blank. "Shouldn't I be concerned for his health?"

"I see," Tsunade gazed at them thoughtfully before turning back to her work. "You will leave within the hour. I suggest that you go home and get ready." The Hokage dismissed them with a wave of her hand as she pulled out some papers. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Hokaga-sama," Kiba said as he turned and left.

"What room is Neji in?" Hinata asked when the door clicked shut.

"Room 2030," Tsunade replied without looking up from her paperwork. "Why do you ask?"

"I will go to the hospital and see if he is willing to go to the border with us."

Tsuande looked up slowly. Hinata stood unflinchingly in front of her totally unlike the child she had been when Jiraiya and Naruto had dragged the busty blonde back to the village. Back then Hinata was still having problems with the injury to her heart that she had sustained in the Chunin exams, from the very person she was asking about right now. That Hinata had been small for her size, perpetually nervous, and downright _terrified_ of her older cousin. When had she become the unflinching young woman that stood before her, unafraid in the face of the Godaime Hokage's legendary wrath?

"Hinata, I do not think that a new obsession will be good for you health," Tsunade sighed. "I have watched you grow from a young girl that would jump at even her own shadow to the beautiful young woman you are now. I have seen that you have recently become enamored with the thought of helping needy people and I am now questioning your motives. I know that your cousin is one of the neediest people in Konoha, but maybe a different hobby is in order. Origami is good for one's health."

"What are you suggesting, Tsunade-sama?" Hinata's eyes narrowed. "Are you accusing me of doing something illegal with my own _cousin_?"

"No, I am just telling you what I see in your recent behavior. Be careful, Hinata. The heart is a fragile thing. Easily broken, but not easily mended." Tsunade waved her hand again. "I have work to do. Go check on Neji."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Hinata bowed before walking out the door.

"I am getting to old for this," Tsunade stuck out her tongue and reached into her desk for her secret bottle of sake.

"Neji?" Hinata whispered as she entered the room that Tsunade had told her he was in.

"So you found out, huh?" He muttered from were he sat in his bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"When did you become such a wimp?" She grinned as she sat down on the bed next to him. "I mean, Hyuga Neji was one of the most feared ninja from Konoha and is now reduced to a wimpy guy that cries over being pricked by a kunai…" She teased.

"Ah, haha, you're funny," Neji gave a strange laugh before tugging her to his chest and placed a kiss on her temple. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"Tsunade is sending Kiba and me on a mission in about half an hour. I was wondering if you would like to come along so you could keep an eye on Kiba and his oogly eyes." Hinata batted her eyelashes. "You coming?"

"Of course. I have to keep an eye on you or more accurately, I have to keep an eye on Kiba's balls. He's always trying to get inside you," Neji shook his head as he stood and pulled off the hospital gown, revealing the bandage on his back.

"What happened and why didn't I hear about it yesterday?" Hinata sighed.

"A lucky kunai in my blind spot while I was dealing with his friend." Neji muttered darkly as he pulled on his pants. "I'm still trying to figure out how it happened, how that man got _so_ lucky. Damn Cloud ninja."

"Neji seems angry," Hinata giggled as she watched him struggle to pull on his shirt. "Hurry up; we're going to be late. Tsuande-sama hates it when people are late."

"I know," he replied, pulling his hair back in its customary tie. "There, I'm ready."

"Why is it that guys always neglect their appearances?" Hinata lamented as she walked out the door.

"I do not neglect my appearance!" Neji yelled after her. "Now dog-breath on the other hand…"

"So, Neji," Kiba started as the great gates of Konoha disappeared behind the group. "What was going on in the settlement town? I heard Cloud…"

"Yes, they were trying to get Konoha's secrets out of them," Neji said. "Lee and Tenten are still there dealing with the problem." He glanced over his shoulder. "The Cloud also said that they would eat the balls of people with animal familiars," he muttered darkly.

"Oh, so you're saying that they would have killed me?" Kiba growled, his canine teeth protruding from his upper lip. "I heard that they kill men that aren't married and are no longer virgins."

"Yes, and then they finish off their meals with men that see their animals as their 'spouses'." Neji replied darkly. "But you fall under the first category in the first place so never mind."

"The two of you might as well whip them out and see who's longer," Hinata muttered under her breath.

"Neji! Are you trying to corrupt Hinata's perfect ears?" Kiba snarled.

"Perfect ears?" Neji stopped so he could turn and glare at the Inuzuka. "Hinata, you know how babies are made, right?"

Hinata's face turned red before she gave a nervous giggle and a slight nod.

"See, she isn't as innocent as you thing, Dog-breath." Neji said before turning and walking away.

"He is _soooo_ vulgar!" Kiba growled. "I don't see how you can put up with him."

"Put up with him?" Hinata gasped.

"Yeah, you live with him. See him every day; listen to his vulgar comments all the time. I'm surprised he hasn't had an angry ex-girlfriend come after him and tried to kill him. He's the biggest gigolo in Konoha."

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata cried. "Please don't go around saying things like that! You will ruin his reputation!"

"He's already done a good job of that himself. It's not every day that you meet a paramour like him. I pity the girl that believes herself in love with him. She's competing with fifty other girls for his 'attentions.'" Kiba shook his head. "Come on, Hina-chan. At least you don't have to worry about any of this. He's just you cousin."

"Yeah, just my cousin," she rolled her eyes as Kiba broke out in a jog to catch up with Neji. "I'm just that girl that you said you pity."

"Dude, I'm telling you that we are going the wrong way!" Kiba yelled, pointing to the west. "The outpost is more in the central part of the boarder! I've been there!"

"You have?" Neji chuckled darkly. "So have I. In fact, I recently spent almost two months up there or had you forgotten? I think that I know my way around up here better than you do, Kiba. That outpost was the base for our operations. I _know_ where it is."

"You know, I'm wondering if you didn't sustain an injury to you back but your head! I've been there before too!" Kiba irately yelled.

"Kiba-kun, Nii-san," Hinata made a slight face at calling Neji nii-san but she knew that Kiba expected it from her. "Please stop arguing. It's almost sunset. Let's set up camp and cook supper and we can worry about where the outpost is in the _morning_."

"Sure, whatever Hinata," Kiba grumbled as he walked away. "I'll go find fire wood."

"Neji, please try and _act_ like you like Kiba? Just this once? For me?" She sighed.

"He is more irritating than Gai and Lee on sugar highs." Neji muttered. "Are you sure that I can't relieve him of a few dangling parts of his body? Please? He'll mellow out…"

"If you do that to him I'll have to do it to you and I know how much you like those parts," Hinata said as she rummaged through her pack for supper. "You want to have kids, right?"

"Can't we at least tell Kiba not to talk?"

"Sure, if you also go without talking," she shook her head. "Neji these petty fights with Kiba aren't going to get you anywhere. And they sure are irritating me. You two give me a headache."

"Not me," Neji said in a hurt voice, brushing her hair away from her neck so he could lean down and kiss sensitive skin at the base. "I'm not annoying to Hinata…"

"You can be," she sighed. "You better stop if you don't want Kiba to know…"

"I'm half tempted to let him see; then he can know that you are mine and he has no chance," he purred in her ear. "But we both know that we can't do that. It would make such waves…"

"That doesn't mean anything," she whispered against his mouth as she pressed her lips to his. The kiss started off slow and got deeper, their tongues both fighting for supremacy. His shirt was soon removed in her impatience, her fingers kneading the taunt muscles of his chest.

"Damn, Hinata," Neji sighed as he pulled away. "You know how to make me want you more than anything in the world. Be with me forever," he mumbled into her chest.

"I can see what I can do about that," she giggled as she heard a twig snap. Both their eyes widened and the spun away from each other, looking for a way to escape Kiba's sharp gaze. "Shirt!" She squeaked at him, pointing at where it had become tangled in a thorn bush. He grabbed hold of it and tugged but to no avail. "Get over here!" She ordered, grabbing the bandage on his back and ripping it off. She stuffed the used bandages in her pocket and retrieved clean ones just as Kiba came back into the clearing.

"Man, all the wood is wet from the recent rain," he sighed, Akamaru ever vigilant at his side. "Urm, am I interrupting anything?" Kiba made a face when he saw Neji's bear chest and Hinata hiding behind him.

"No!" Hinata squeaked. "The bandages just needed to be changed! We can't let it get infected!"

"Okay, Hinata. You don't have to be so embarrassed. It's not like the two of you were making out and all that," Kiba said as he started building a fire.

Hinata felt her cheeks turn bright red and she buried her face in Neji's shoulder which was shaking as he tried to keep in his laughter at her actions. A wave of annoyance came over her and she hit his shoulder before turning to his wound.

It didn't look very deep and who ever had healed it had done an exemplary job but the edges were still pink and tender to her touch. He winced as she spread her healing salve over the wound and that concerned her. If he was in pain, could he fight? The wound was just below his shoulder blade which meant any time he went to move his arm in a large motion or very quickly the wound would be pulled tight.

"Does it hurt?" She asked as she started winding the clean bandages around his middle.

"Only when I move," he replied, tensing when her fingers accidentally came into contact with the wound. "Other than that I'm perfectly fine. So fine that I think I'll let you stop."

"Nope, not until it's done." Hinata said. "We can't let it get infected and cause us to amputate your arm, now can we?"

"I'm all for amputating Neji's arm," Kiba called from where he leaned over his campfire, holding a piece of bread to it to be toasted. "Pretty boys only need one, I hear."

"Kiba, if Hinata wasn't threatening to poke her finger into my injury, I would be over there strangling you." Neji said threateningly. "Don't make me do something I know I won't regret."

"Oh yeah? It seems like you like beating on other people. I hope that you don't threaten Hinata like you do me. If you hurt her again, you won't live to see the light of the next day." Kiba said.

"Can you promise me that?" Neji whispered. "Don't ever let me hurt Hinata again."

"You won't. You like me too much now." Hinata whispered back as she finished. "Kiba-kun, you better have made something edible. Not Mysterious Surprise. That tasted nasty. Like dog slobber, no offence Akamaru," she said and she patted Neji on the back and then went over to her teammate.

Neji watched as they interacted, the glow on Hinata's face telling him that she was happy and by the way Dog-brain look, he was happy with the situation, too. For the first time in his life he felt as if he was trespassing on something sacred, something that he would never be able to take part in. A grim look came to his face as he pulled his shirt back on and he sat down next to the fire with a brooding look on his face, discouraging conversation.

The meal was eaten in silence, none willing to break the silence that only night could bring.

"I'll take first watch," Neji muttered as he stood up. "Get some rest. We'll be there about noon tomorrow and we'll get to see the state our outpost is in. Hopefully the old man kept it in good condition." He glanced back at his companions. "Goodnight."

"Neji, why are you brooding? Hopefully it's not 'cause of Kiba interrupting us." Hinata said softly as she sat down next to him on a fallen log an hour later after Kiba had dropped off into his deep sleep that only an explosion could wake him from.

"It's not Kiba, surprisingly," he said, keeping his gaze straight forward.

"Is it me?" She asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"No, it's me. Why did you do it? You could have won. I was there, I saw the battle. Hanabi was tiring and you looked as if you were gaining power as you went. A life of pain and hardships could have been avoided, Hinata. Life in the Branch house is hard, even if you have a connection to the Royal line. It couldn't save my father from death and it couldn't save my mother from being a virtual slave to a family she had once been a member of. I don't want you to be a member of the Branch house. I do not want this fate for you, Hinata."

"I chose it for myself, Neji. There is no going back now. I will have to face the consequences of my actions face forward. I can't run from it Neji, no matter how much you want me to. I brought this fate upon _myself_."

"I still don't like it," he sighed.

"You don't have to. It's my life, not yours," she muttered.

"I want to share it though. I though that Hinata wanted me as much as I want her. I thought that one day maybe we could be more than secret lovers. I thought that we would be…" He trailed off, a frown on his face.

"We would be what? Husband and wife? Eternal lovers? Parents?" She closed her eyes. "Maybe it's all just wishful thinking. Or maybe none of this is real. Any moment we could wake and see that all of this was just a dream designed to test us and how much we have grown through this trial."

"Ah, that's what I love about you the most. Your ability to see the lesson in everything and grow from it. This is just a storm we must weather in the road of life. Your words are oddly sage-like today, Hinata-sama." Neji whispered, leaning down and kissing her.

"Thank you Nii-san," she replied, intertwining her fingers through his hair.

A devious smile came to his face and he scooped her up in his arms, their lips molded to another's. He removed his shirt quickly and set it down on the log, tugging her pants down and off. Her panties followed along with her shirt, leaving her body bare to him.

"Gods, Hinata. You are beautiful," he sighed into her hair. "Why did you agree to love me? I am a mere mortal in the presence of a goddess."

"If I am a goddess, I command you to continue with what you were doing," she whispered in his ear. "Your goddess commands that you make love to her."

"I see," he grinned, pressing her gently against his shirt. "I believe that I can comply with that order." His pants quickly followed his statements along with his boxers. He pressed into her slowly, his favorite part of making love with her the sigh she would give when he was fully inside her. The sigh came soon after as his excitement grew, the pain of holding himself back so he wouldn't hurt her coursing through his veins.

Their unions were usually fast and wild, neither one able to catch their breath as they came closer and closer to their releases, the pain and suffering in their world forgotten in the other's arms.

Hinata's teeth bit into the flesh of his shoulder as she tried to keep in a scream, the exuberating pleasure flowing through them both usually making them very vocal during their joining. Soon they were both out of breath as they tried to keep the pleasure coursing through their bodies as long as they could and finally they let go, spasms marking the end of their salted union.

"It's a good thing Kiba can sleep through anything," Hinata gasped.

"I'd say it's a very good thing," Neji laughed into her hair as he pulled her close.

"Come on, Hinata. This is the fifth time we've had to stop," Kiba muttered as he and Neji stood by the road while Hinata was off in the wood, retching for the sixth time since she had gotten up.

"I can't help that you make _bad_ food!" She yelled back, wiping her mouth off. She grabbed her water bottle and took a swing; gargling it and spitting it back out to get the horrid taste of vomit out of her mouth. "'Course it doesn't help that I've not been eating much lately 'cause I'm depressed," she sighed.

"Hinata, if you do not get better in the next five minutes, I will make the executive decision to leave you here," Neji called impatiently.

"I'm coming," she called back, trying not to gag as she stood up. "Maybe."

"We won't get there before sunset if this keeps up," Neji muttered as she appeared out of the woods. "Stomach as empty as it could be?"

"Emptier," she moaned, pressing her hand to her belly. "I'll be okay."

"Good. Let's go."

"Hey, wait up," Kiba yelled as Neji spun on his heal and started walking away. "Hinata can't go that fast. She was just vomiting for frikin' jeezies sake."

"Kiba, it's okay. I know that I am slowing us down," Hinata bit her lower lip. "Neji's just doing his job as squadron commander."

"Yeah, well, his bedside manner sucks major. You'd think that he could be a little more caring, especially with you."

"Me? Why me?" Hinata asked in confusion.

"'Cause. Ever since he hurt you in the Chunin exams, he's acted, I don't know, guilty maybe when ever he has been around you. Its as if he is trying to atone for a sin by ignoring you and making sure that he is always surrounded with people when he is around you." Kiba shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "You are the only one that I have ever seen make Hyuga Neji flinch. He looks at you as if he doesn't know what he is going to do with you. Maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Hinata prodded when Kiba broke off.

"Maybe the hard old heart of Hyuga Neji is softening, that's all," Kiba muttered, not wanting Hinata to know the direction that his thoughts had taken. He couldn't let himself believe that something was going on between innocent Hinata and worldly Neji. They were complete opposites and despite what his mother had always said about opposites attracting, he didn't believe it.

"If you two want to lollygag, be my guest, but don't complain to me later when you get to the fort after dark," Neji called out from a meter ahead of them in the road. "We were expected at noon, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming," Kiba stuck out his tongue at Neji's back before grabbing Hinata's hand. "Come on! Let's get there before he does and make fun of him when he _finally_ gets there."

"What ever you say, Kiba," she giggled. "What ever you say."

"It did surprise me that they all disappeared but it had happened once before and they showed back up the next day so I wasn't going to make a big deal out of it…"

"But they've been gone almost a week now." The grandson interrupted his grandfather. "We've been hard pressed to keep up with all the work. I still haven't fixed the whole in the side of the fortification since I haven't had the time. I have to baby-sit him," grandson muttered, jerking his thumb at his grandfather that was still talking about the missing shinobi.

"How many were up here, Shū, and just what needs to be done?" Neji sighed.

"The old man had twelve people up here. Not counting the civilians that always flock to a place like this." Shū replied. "Shiroyuki Goemonsuke! Don't you dare try and fix that!" He yelled as he ran toward his grandfather that had a hammer in one hand and plaster in the other. "I'll do it later after I explain the situation to Neji! You remember Neji! He's the one that got the cat out of the rafters for you. Remember?"

"Neji?" Goemonsuke's eyes lit up for a second before dimming. "No. Who are you?"

"Gah!" Shū yelled. "Are you people at least competent?" He glared at Hinata and Kiba.

"Of course," Kiba growled back, offended. "If we weren't would we be here? Hokage-sama sent us or had you forgotten?"

"Don't get in my way and we'll be fine," Shū muttered darkly.

"Please, Shū-san, we are here to help." Hinata smiled. "Tell us what we need to do."

"Freakin' stop it!" Shū yelled at his grandfather. "Neji, you help the crazy old dude, you," he said, pointing at Kiba, "Can start working on fixin' the wall and you," he pointed at Hinata. "You can make us something good to eat. Gramps can't make anything other than grubs. Nasty. I'm going to go find the supplies we need to get this place running again."

"Of course Shū-san," Hinata bowed her head before walking down the hallway Shū had pointed. The walls were crumbling around her and she had to pause and wonder how long the general repairs to the garrison had been put off. She found what could barely pass as a kitchen after some searching, noticing that any and all cooking supplies were gone.

"At least we have the camping cooking supplies," she chuckled. "And I'm not as bad a cook as Kiba is. We'll at least have edible food for dinner." She looked around for the source for water and saw a faucet sticking out of the wall. She went over to it and turned it on, making a face at the brown liquid coming out of it. Plugging her nose she filled her water bottle and put it on the counter so she could fill her cooking pot.

The hair on the back of her neck suddenly prickled and she spun around, sloshing dirty water all over herself as she looked around. No one was in the room but she could have sworn that she felt another's presence. With a frown she filled up the pot again before setting it in the fire pit. An eerie sense of déjà vu came over her and she spun again.

No one was in the room and when she went over to the door and opened she was greeted with an empty corridor. "Okay, you are just loosing your _mind_. You don't need that, Hinata." She muttered to herself as she went back to the fire pit, her hand reaching for a ladle she knew she had set down next to it but it came up empty.

She froze and took a deep breath, slowing turning around to see that her water bottle was missing. Her eyes widened and she grabbed her pack only to find all the food stuff she had in it gone. A sense of foreboding came over her and she closed her eyes, gathering chakra to them.

"Byakugan," she whispered opening her eye while activating her kekkei genkai. Her all seeing eyes looked around the room and when she didn't find anyone else, she focused her eyes so she could see Kiba and Neji. Kiba was in what looked like a store room getting planks of wood and Neji and the old man were fitting the walls with plaster. Shū was in what looked like an office going through piles of paper work with a scowl, but they were the only people in the fort, there was no one that could have taken her water bottle or the food.

"What's going on?" She whispered as a hand clamped over her mouth.

"A Hyuga. This complicates things," a voice whispered in her ear. Strong hands clamped her hands together and she was forced against the wall.

"It can't be helped. The boss wants her." Another voice ordered. She let out a gasp and tried to get out of the person's grip but a hand came down on the base of her skull and she knew no more.

"Man am I hungry," Kiba sighed, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Hopefully Hinata's got a yummy meal all made up…"

"You're always hungry," Neji sighed.

"I don't care if she makes gruel. Anything is better than what the old man makes," Shū muttered.

"Shū, when the shinobi guardians disappeared, did they leave anything behind as a clue as to why they left?" Neji asked, a sense of something not being right coming over him.

"Nah, they just left. There had been grumblings among them about how Konoha had deserted them so why shouldn't they desert her and all that but no real warning. The old man says that they left in the middle of the night about three weeks ago; taking anything they thought was of value. At least the store room wasn't broken into or we would have had to leave about two weeks ago. I know how important this place is to the defense of Konoha so I've been trying to keep it running but it's been hard, especially since Gramps's accident."

"What happened to him?" Kiba asked, glancing back at the man.

"A skirmish with the enemy right before the desertion. He's getting better though. He doesn't believe himself to be the emperor of chocolate milk any more." Shū said thoughtfully. "We had a doc up here and he took a look at him and said he was fine but Gramps still has problems. I guess it has to do with getting older."

"What happened to the villagers that were here?" Neji asked.

"They all left when they heard that there was no real protection from anything here anymore. Raiyama sure screwed us over when he left. We get a caravan in about every other week to bring supplies, sometimes it's not enough but we make do, even if we have to eat plain rice every meal." Shū murmured. "You know, I think that…"

"Shh!" Neji hissed, grabbing his arm and forcing the boy behind him.

"Wha?" Shū and Kiba both said but Neji cut them off.

"There is someone here that shouldn't be. And Hinata…" His eyes widened and he set off in a dead run to the kitchen, forcing the door off its hinges when he arrived to find it empty. "Hinata!" He yelled, fear gnawing at his stomach. He couldn't feel Hinata bright chakra signature anywhere and that scared him. The only time that a ninja's chakra signature could be erased is if they were in a deep coma or… dead. "Hinata!" He yelled again.

"Neji, what's wrong?" Kiba panted as he entered the room. "What happened here?"

Neji stopped and looked around. The kitchen was in tatters, but there was no sign of struggle he would assume would come with Hinata resisting her attackers. "Hinata," he whispered.

"Look!" Shū called from across the room.

"What is it?" Neji asked, going over to the boy.

"It's one of Raiyama's special made shuriken. He said that they throw better or something like that," the boy muttered. "He must have just been here 'cause this wasn't here this morning when I made breakfast."

"What would he want to do with Hinata?" Neji growled, there was something familiar about the weapon but his mind couldn't connect it to anything right now in his current state distress.

Shū shrugged. "She's got a kekkei genkai, doesn't she? Raiyama's all about those. He said that they showed that the ninja was of "superior" blood. He doesn't have one himself but he did say once that he would find a woman that had one to make his wife. Maybe…"

"He wants to have a _kid_ with Hinata?" Kiba yelled, casting around wildly for any clue as to his shy teammate's whereabouts. "Neji, we gotta find her!"

"I know, Kiba," Neji said in a deadly call voice. "We will. And when we do, I'll kill those bastards."

"What the heck are you thinking? She's going to have her goddamn teammates coming after her. What were you thinking?" She heard someone yell as she slowly regained consciousness. "We can't risk them finding us!"

"Losing your nerve?" Another voice asked this one in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"Raiyama, that girl isn't something you want to get messed up with! Don't you remember those Hyuga we crossed in Mie?"

"Who cares about the Hyuga in Mie, didn't any of you recognize the one leading their group? It was Hyuga _Neji_. Their _demon_. No one has possessed skills like him ever in their clan's long history. None of us could face him alone and we do not know the skill level of Inuzuka they brought with them. Raiyama, you are going to get us all _killed_."

"Shut up, Yūsuke. Kenjiro hasn't led us astray, yet." A female voice said soothingly and Hinata could feel the tug of genjutsu pulling her to agree with her voice.

"I refuse to go along with this!" The first voice called out.

"Then leave. I won't hold it to you," the second voice said.

"You are the biggest bastard of them all!" The first yelled.

"No, you just don't understand what I am planning. You mentioned the Hyuga. We all know that if we do not act something with happen."

"You know what, Kenjiro? Rot in hell."

"Ah, Maya, please show your friend out of here. And check on our guest. I want her to dine with us tonight."

"Of course," Maya replied as Hinata felt herself falling back into darkness.

"Neji! We have to do something!" Kiba yelled, shaking his fists at the Hyuga genius.

"What are you planning on doing?" Neji asked as he finished replacing the last crumbling portion of the wall. "We have no leads. And unless you can pull some out of thin air, we have no idea where she is."

"You know, I thought that you had changed. Hinata believes in you. She knows that you will bring her back safely so go and get her and bring her back _safely_." Kiba yelled, throwing his hands over his head. "I respect your skills, Neji, but if you are you are going to anything, I will."

Kiba had no idea how much he wanted to run after the bastards that had kidnapped the only woman he had ever loved. "We will get her back, Kiba. We _will_ get her back."

"Neji! Kiba!" Shū yelled as he ran into the room. "I know where she is! Raiyama sometimes talked about this one place right over the boarder. It was a maze of caves and caverns that he said would be easily taken over by an enemy or a great place where we could hide out if this place was ever taken."

"Neji!" Kiba growled, already grabbing his kunai pouch.

"Yeah," Neji grinned.

"Welcome," a tall man with violently red hair greeted her as the woman that had forcefully woken her pushed her forward. "I hope that everything is to your liking."

"The hospitality could be better," she said, looking around thoughtfully. "Where are we?"

"We are in the country that was once called the Land of Rice Paddies on the boarder between that land and the Land of Fire. My name is Raiyama Kenjiro, and this is where I live."

"An odd place for a former Konoha-nin to move too," Hinata said as she was forced down into a chair. "Why have I been brought here? What is the purpose?"

"Oh, none. I just wanted to spend some quality time with the Hyuga Princess." He said as he poured sake in a glass and then offered it to her.

"How much money do you want?" She whispered as she took it.

"None, just some time," he sighed as he sat down across from her. "Now, shall we eat? I'm sure that you are starved. You have been asleep for two days. That is now good for the young woman's body."

"You keeping me here makes no sense." She replied as she raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. It tasted alright and since she had built up a resistance to most poisons so she figured that nothing to bad would come from drinking it.

"On the contrary, it makes perfect sense if I am using you," he responded as he, too, took a drink from his cup.

"What are you using me for?" She asked as a plate of food was place in front of her.

"You are my ticket back to Konoha. Up here on the boarder, well," he looked her straight in the eye. "Either you get stronger or it breaks you."

"And you are…" Her eyes narrowed.

"Stronger." He said. "Of course. I am not broken easily."

"I am glad to hear that." Hinata said as she took a bite of the food in front of her. "May I ask why I am here?"

"All will be revealed in do time. I do hate it when the same question is asked of me over and over again. Now, Hyuga-san, shall we eat in peace?" Raiyama asked.

Hinata's eyes narrowed and then she nodded. There was no point in provoking the man that was holding her hostage, especially if he was offering her food. They eat in silence and Hinata noted that not many people seemed to be in what she saw was an underground cave system. There were four exits that were all guarded by two ninja making a grand total of twelve people in the entire complex.

"Is it to your liking? Only the finest feast for the Hyuga Princess herself," Raiyama said softly, looking at her over the rim of her cup.

"What do you want from me?" She asked as she set down her chopsticks.

"You."

The word washed over her like a like the spite of her family and all thoughts left her brain. The chopsticks that were under her hand became a weapon as she drove one into the neck of the man that was standing behind her.

"Capture her!" Raiyama yelled as the body slid to the floor, the long wooden cylinder protruding from his neck marking his death in it's bloody glory.

Adrenaline rushed through her body and she started seeing things from an elevated position as if everything was going in slow motion and she alone was going the correct speed. Annoyance gripped her. If everything was going that slow, she knew that soon _she_ would be the one that was fighting sluggishly. With a growl she activated her kekkei genkai and took a deep breath. Her arms and legs assumed the Jūken stance without her conscious thought as the first ninja came at her.

He held a kunai in each hand but his advance was so full of openings she could have defeated him in her sleep. A slap against his chest rendered him unable to even move as the muscles in his chest constricted but didn't release. He wasn't dead, she knew, but he wasn't going anywhere, either.

The second came at her at the same speed as the last but his held his body in a tight contour so he didn't have as many openings. "Che," she hissed as he engaged her in a bout of highly skilled taijutsu. Left block, right parry, left, right, left, right… The sequence was repeated so many times she wasn't sure how long they had been engaged in the battle, all she knew is that as good as he was, she was better. Not long after this thought she saw the opening she was looking for and took it. His eyes widened he fell backward. She allowed herself a smirk as the next came at her. They were fighting her as if they thought the old reports of the Hyuga heiress being weak and unable to hold her own in battle, but she wasn't that girl anymore. She was better.

The rest of the ninja fell to her hands in quick succession, until only Raiyama was left.

"Impressive, Hyuga-sama. All the reports I had on you said that you were helpless as a ninja and only became a genin out of sympathy by the Third Hokage. Now I see that someone was misinformed. Do not worry, though. I am much better than these fleas." Raiyama's eyes narrowed as he brought his right hand up to his chest and closed his left hand over his wrist.

Hinata readied herself but she didn't know how much longer she could keep with the battle. Her muscles were crying out in pain and her head had started spinning leaving her unbalanced, but she knew if her body failed her now, she would never fight another battle. If something happened to her, she would rather swallow the pill that every ninja was given that would lead to an instant death rather than allow this man to use her for his own ends.

"Say goodbye, Hyuga-sama." He grinned, releasing his wrist as her body tightened up and her mind went dark.

"Are you sure?" Kiba muttered as Shū lead them down a shaft of a cave, the only light they had allowed themselves attached to Goemonsuke's forehead in the rear.

"Yeah, this is where I'd hide her if I was going to kidnap someone," Shū muttered.

"Kiba, shut up. We don't want them to know that we are coming, now do we?" Neji growled.

"Who died and made you omnipotent?" Kiba said under his breath as they made it into a small cavern with five different openings across from them.

"Shū?" Neji asked.

"Left," Shū nodded. "It's always left."

"Are you sure? This is Hinata's _life_ we are talking about." Kiba growled. "If something happens to her because you lead us down the wrong tunnel…"

"It's left," Neji whispered. "I can sense her though her presence is faint. She must be unconscious." His face took on a determined look. "Let's go before something does happen."

They slowly crept down the tunnel, careful to make sure that no one could sense their presence. After they had gone several kilometers Neji suddenly drew back and held up his hand to stop the others. A grand hall stretched out in front of them, entirely empty.

"Maybe someone forgot that they were supposed to be guarding this area?" Kiba whispered.

"No, there is someone here," Neji whispered back as Akamaru suddenly went ridged. "What does that mean?"

"That means that Hinata's in trouble." Kiba growled, running headlong into the great cavern. "C'mon, boy! Let's get her back!"

"Kiba," Neji sighed, shaking his head.

"He is straight forward," Shū said.

"And stupid," Goemonsuke said.

"And he's going to get us all killed one of these days." Neji finished. "Might as well make sure that he doesn't. Come on." He waved them on as he cautiously followed Kiba down the hall. Several side caves appeared on the sides but Neji continued down the main one. They heard Kiba yelp several moments later and Neji mentally kicked himself for letting the Inuzuka get so far ahead of them.

"Goemonsuke, Shū, when we get up there, see if you can find Hinata. If she is there, get her and run. Kiba and I will catch up." Shū and Goemonsuke nodded and they started off down the hall. When they finally got into the room Kiba and Akamaru had run off to they were greeted with the sight of the ninja and his familiar fighting a woman with violet hair that had lime green tips.

"Neji!" Kiba yelled. "He took Hinata down the hall! The middle one."

"Oh no you don't!" The woman cackled as five more ninja appeared.

"Go Neji," Shū said. "Gramps and I can take them."

"Thanks," Neji said softly as he went down the hall Kiba had indicated. He traveled down the hall several meters before he entered another room that was lit with one light, right on Hinata's prostrate form as her legs dangled over a large pit.

"Well, well, it seems that Maya failed if you are here, Hyuga Neji."

"Raiyama, why did you do this?" Neji growled as he inched toward Hinata. "It makes no sense. You were a Jonin!"

"Sometimes you are not happy with what you have. You should know. You are a Hyuga. Rarely do they rise above their stations." Raiyama replied.

"Even if I can't rise above my station, I would never betray Konoha!" Neji yelled, silently activating his byakugan. His kekkei genkai was not affected by the dark but Raiyama didn't know that. The man was standing behind him and to the right, holding onto a rope that was wrapped around Hinata's waist, the only thing that was keeping her out of the pit.

"What do you hope to accomplish by doing this?" Neji growled, inching toward him.

"Nothing more than defeating you. I can tell that she is precious to you. What a shame if she died." Raiyama chuckled as he slackened the rope. Hinata's body slid forward more, every fiber of Neji's being screaming to run to her but he resisted. He could sense that Kiba, Shū and Goemonsuke were all done with their battles and coming towards him.

"You know, Raiyama, the difference between the two of us?" He called.

"I do not wish to play your games," Raiyama sighed.

"The difference," Neji whispered as he gathered chakra to his feet, "Is our strength. You are strong, yes, but physical strength is only half of it. You also need the strength to _endure_."

He sprung forward at a speed that even Lee would envy, a single Jūken blow to the man's heart enough to rupture it. The rope slipped from his limp hands and again Neji sprang forward with a speed that Lee would be jealous of.

"Hinata!" Neji yelled, running over and catching her before she could fall into the pit. "Hinata! Wake up Hinata. Please?"

"Aishiteru." The word whispered across his ears, the promise in it enough to bring tears to his eyes.

"Hinata," he whispered softly, his head tilted down so he could whisper in her ear, "Aishiteru."

"NEJI! Is she okay?" Kiba yelled from across the room in the hallway opening.

"Yeah, she will be. She will be." Neji whispered, allowing himself to tilt his head down so he could kiss her on the temple.

"Don't stop," she sighed as her eyes flittered open. "Never stop."

"I won't; I promise," Neji grinned.

"I want to stay like this for a little while more." She said in a whispered sigh.

"Okay. As long as you want," he whispered in her ear as he carried her over to where Kiba, Shū, and Goemonsuke where standing.

The next morning she woke back at the fort with the worst headache she had ever had. Neji, Kiba, Shū, and Goemonsuke all hovered around her bed and Akamaru curled up next to her, offering his body heat to her. Their sweetness touched her and she felt as if she was the most important person in the world, until she remembered why she was laying in the bed with almost total chakra depletion.

She hadn't been strong enough to stop her kidnapping and she hadn't been strong enough to free herself and keep the two people that were most important to her from worrying about her. She buried her face in her hands and brought on the worried looks and questions from all four men around her.

"Are you sure that you're okay Hinata?" Kiba asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine, Kiba-kun. Aren't there things you can be doing to the fort? I don't need a babysitter every second." She knew that her comments would hurt her friend but she truly wanted to be alone for awhile and she knew that was the only way she would get him to go away.

"Oh, yeah, I'll see you later," Kiba's face drooped as he walked out the door, Akamaru on his heals.

"Come on, Gramps. We got stuff we could be doing too." Shū grabbed Goemonsuke's arm and pulled him out of the room leaving Neji and Hinata alone.

"Well," Neji muttered as he sat down next to her. "I guess we can't have sex…"

"Neji, I don't want to do this right now," Hinata whispered. "Please go."

"I understand," Neji nodded as he leaned down and kissed her. "Sleep well."

She swallowed hard as he walked out the door, her confused emotions telling her that she should bawl like a baby. Her life was falling apart around her, her title stripped from her, her illusion of her father's love disappearing, the skills she had worked for so hard abandoning her when she needed them most, and now, watching Neji's back retreat out the door was like the last straw. Her life was in shambles and when she got back to Konoha she wasn't going to do anything to fix it. She would work to remove the curse mark but no more. It was over. Hyuga Hinata existed no more.

"The new squadron that Tsunade-sama is sending should be here tomorrow," Neji said as the three Konoha nin stood outside the fort with Shū and Goemonsuke just inside the door.

"Are they better than that Raiyama?" Goemonsuke asked suspiciously.

"Of course," Neji laughed. "My friend Akemi is going to be the one leading the group. You can trust her. She's as tough as nails, and has a personality to match. She's kinda creepy now that I think about it…"

"Great," Shū rolled his eyes. "Another feisty female. I can't wait. Maya and her illusions and genjutsu were enough for me."

"Did I mention that Akemi is super cute?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"I don't care," Shū crossed his arms over his chest. "How cute?"

Neji threw back his head and let out a loud laugh. "Shū," he shook his head as he let out another chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, she's cute. Can we go now?" Kiba whined. "I want to get back before the festival! Hana was going to let me take her kid! Uncle Kiba was going to be the coolest uncle in all Konoha!"

"Fine, Kiba wants to be going," Neji sighed. "Are you ready, Hinata?"

She nodded her head, making sure that no one could see her face as it was covered by her long hair. Her resent decision had left her eyes red and puffy with a far away distant look in them and she didn't want to worry the two men that would actually care about her well being.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Goemonsuke-san, Shū-kun," she whispered.

"Are you sure you are feeling okay?" Neji asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah, let's go." She turned around and walked away, leaving them to stare after her.

"I guess we're going. Bye!" Kiba waved his hand as he jogged after Hinata.

Neji bowed his head. "Good luck."

"Yeah, you too," Goemonsuke replied.

The day they got back to Konoha was the day of the traditional Firework festival like Kiba wanted but Hinata wasn't up to going and Neji refused to leave her side if it was for more than a minute.

She had finally convinced him to go and find food as he hadn't eaten for almost two days when her father entered her room with a triumphant look on his face.

"Father," she whispered, bowing her head.

"Hum," Hiashi's eyes were full of glee but she knew that it wasn't directed at her. "Hinata, I have come here today to inform you that you are no longer heir. The council has voted unanimously that Hanabi will become Head on her birthday. On that same day you will become a member of the Branch house and someone else's problem." With that Hiashi spun out of the room, leaving his elder daughter to contemplate what she was going to do next.

"Well, Hanabi, you have won. I hope that being Head is everything you hoped it would be." Hinata whispered as she curled up in her bed and wept.


End file.
